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My pristine 78 DL is coming home!

Featured Replies

Hi USMB folks.

 

Hope all is well in the vintage Subie world!

 

Looking for help with shipping of a car that was once mine, and now is again.

 

A quick summary:  I'm a professional car designer, and spent some time years ago when I designed for Nissan, making this lovely, albeit tired, little DL into a real nice car.  We worked on the car at the design studio, and went so far as to replicate colors, patterns and textures when we were unable to find originals.  

 

Recently, I was contacted by the current owner of the car, after he discovered the scholarship I created for LGBT design students from my winnings on a reality TV show called "Motor City Masters." (More on that here, if interested)  http://www.bryanthompsondesign.com/philanthropy/   He offered to return the car to me, and I am so excited to have it return to my stable.  This little lemon yellow sedan was always one of my favorite projects.

 

In short, I am looking for a creative, inexpensive way to get the car from Tampa Bay, Florida to my home in Los Angeles.  I could go the route of traditional shipping, but am hoping we may find someone with a shipment headed out this way, or close enough to California, that I could collect the car and drive it home.  

 

Please see attached photos, and thanks in advance!

 

Bryan

 

post-15086-0-62809500-1430716598_thumb.jpgpost-15086-0-62815500-1430716605_thumb.jpgpost-15086-0-82100700-1430716612_thumb.jpgpost-15086-0-11027100-1430716619_thumb.jpg

is that thee car? or is just the same model? has california plates.

Edited by Subasaurus

Not sure if this is legit or not but the tv show shipping wars, I believe they use https://www.uship.com/ .

 

I know the show is pretty much scripted but the shipping website looks real.

 

EDIT:

I was just curious so I put a quick quote for a 81 (oldest year they have listed) subaru dl.

 

https://www.uship.com/quotes/view.aspx?c=79&z1=33131&z2=90012&country1ID=1&country2ID=1&a_year=1981&a_make=63&a_model=18393&a_running=true&qrid=554b9e68c8ab1633a4959f74

Edited by spicypeanut

  • Author

is that thee car? or is just the same model? has california plates.

Yeah that's my car.  That's actually me in the photo too, next to it, in the grey shirt.  I used to take the Subie to JCCS, back when the show was a tiny gathering.  This shot was taken in Long Beach, just next to the Queen Mary.

 

1978_Subaru_DL_2dr_sdn_rear.jpg

  • Author

Not sure if this is legit or not but the tv show shipping wars, I believe they use https://www.uship.com/ .

 

I know the show is pretty much scripted but the shipping website looks real.

 

EDIT:

I was just curious so I put a quick quote for a 81 (oldest year they have listed) subaru dl.

 

https://www.uship.com/quotes/view.aspx?c=79&z1=33131&z2=90012&country1ID=1&country2ID=1&a_year=1981&a_make=63&a_model=18393&a_running=true&qrid=554b9e68c8ab1633a4959f74

Good stuff.   Thank you.  I'm finding the quotes to be pretty much in that price range.  If I can find someone with an empty trailer coming this way, I'll snatch up the opportunity, but it's prolly a long shot.  Time will tell!  BT

  • 1 month later...
  • Author

Looky who arrived back home today! Think I'll rename him "BOOMERU" since he's a boomerang Subaru. Now, he gets a full week with my mechanic, and then he's ready to be my Weho Runabout!post-15086-0-84301100-1434703050_thumb.jpg

Awesome story Bryan, There is Karma and your good efforts have been rewarded and deservedly so Cheers and all the best with your Youth revisited and what a great way to relive your early years of Subaru ownership another good story like Drischnie from Germany who bought a mint RX Turbo coupe as a surprise present for her father in the Older Gen section linked here.

I think you will enjoy reading this feel good story about another Subaru person reunited with their first Subaru model, Though not the actual car in this case.

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/147111-my-87-rx-coupe/

  • Author

Awesome story Bryan, There is Karma and your good efforts have been rewarded and deservedly so Cheers and all the best with your Youth revisited and what a great way to relive your early years of Subaru ownership another good story like Drischnie from Germany who bought a mint RX Turbo coupe as a surprise present for her father in the Older Gen section linked here.

I think you will enjoy reading this feel good story about another Subaru person reunited with their first Subaru model, Though not the actual car in this case.

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/147111-my-87-rx-coupe/

Wow!  Thank you Coxy.  What a great read.  And thank you for your kind words.  I'll share more photos soon, after the car is registered.

Bryan, this is a fabulous story.  That car was meant to be yours!!  Do you mind if I share it on our FB page? (ccrengines)  Not as a car we did, of course, but just because your story is so unusual and awesome!

 

Emily

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Author

He's here!

 

Well, after more than a month, and a stop over at my mechanic down in San Diego, the little yellow boomerang Subaru is home again. He'll need some work to pass emissions, and it's been an interesting and expensive journey, but I love that the car has come back. Will be fun to spruce him back up again as well.

 

Anyone with a trustworthy mechanic in Los Angeles that knows these cars, please do advise.

 

Thanks all!

 

BT

post-15086-0-51350400-1436475567_thumb.jpg

  • 2 weeks later...

A shop in SD, thats not Henry's near El Cajon Blvd by any chance? They used to work wonders for my dad and myself!

 

Love the car!!!!

  • 4 weeks later...
  • Author

A shop in SD, thats not Henry's near El Cajon Blvd by any chance? They used to work wonders for my dad and myself!

Love the car!!!!

The shop is Strooties. He's always worked on (and often saved) all my quirky Japanese economy cars.

  • Author

It's so much fun to be reunited with this little car. It has such a quiet, benign charm. My favorite drive is up over Mulholland, and a stop to look at LA lights. Love this city, love this car. post-15086-0-44494300-1439541183_thumb.jpgpost-15086-0-87556000-1439541234_thumb.jpg

  • Author

Let's meet up. I'm in the Sanfernando Valley, Chatsworth.

I'm up for it. Email me at ilikebryan@gmail.com

  • 4 weeks later...

Can you register it as a show car or historic vehicle to bypass the missions red tape??  In Oregon I know we can get "SP" plates that don't require re-registration.  They are not valid for daily drivers, but for a car that you take out once a week or so they are perfect.

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